I don't think that there are many people that haven't heard the name of Cemex's premier day ticket fishery Sandhurst lake - Yateley. Situated on the Hampshire/ Surrey border, it's a gravel pit of roughly 11 acres in size featuring 31 swims offering the angler depths of between 2ft at its shallowest point in the margins down to 12ft at its very deepest. The lake itself comprises of many shallower, harder gravel areas and some nice silty spots. As many will know it is run on a day ticket basis which sometimes makes the lake busy but equally, it does have its quiet times too.
Myself and a few mates had spent the tail end of last year fishing along the road bank, mainly for social reasons you understand!! It was always a good crack catching up with old friends and a few of us had nicked the odd fish out in the lead up to Christmas. I on the other hand hadn't really got in amongst them, it was unexplainable really one of those bizarre quirks of fishing I suppose. On one occasion a mate turned up next door and was basically fishing out to the same area I was, casting probably 8ft away at his closest, he had 3 and I didn't even have a sniff!! I know that the fishing in winter can be localised but this was taking the michael!! We've got a great joke we use which is "Maybe it's the bait? Maybe it's the rig?" which of course is rarely the case, especially this time as my mate was using exactly the same rig that I was.
Anyways, about a week later a guy called Leon had a couple of good fish further up the road bank on the medusa rig, now I'd never really used this rig before and decided to ask him how he was doing it! He obligingly showed me how many maggots he was putting on there, how he mounted them and explained about his terminal set up. Now I'm a great believer in the 'bait on the day philosophy' So thanked him very much for the heads up and decided to go and tie a few up. I was using basically the same principals as him but altered slightly to incorporate my usual rotary set up, a nice short hooklink and a small sharp hook fished wafter style in conjunction with a small bag of the grubs. Now let me tell you for someone who hasn't done it before, it ended up being like a scene from a horror film!, with the smell to match!! Rods were put out to the nice deep silty trench that featured out in front of the swims and the squirming balls of maggots were out there working their evil magic!! Luckily for me I had a nice 21lb mirror early the following morning which I was well pleased with, a really pretty fish in tip top winter condition which gave me a pukka scrap in the cold water conditions and a very much needed mental boost!
A few days later I plumped for the swim that leon had fished and once again put 3 medusas out to the silty trench, I never really use a marker on Sandhurst, preferring to feel the lead down the water. As long as you get a good long drop followed by a nice soft touch down then that'll do!!
Later on that evening I was joined for tea and biscuits by a couple of mates, Ben and Dave, welcome company indeed on a freezing cold January night. The take came at just before nine a couple of beeps followed by an absolute RIPPER on the left hand rod. The fish came in reasonably easy but then woke up close in down to the left of the swim causing me to give line again at a fair rate of knots, now it was awake it gave me a pukka scrap going off on several runs but eventually the pressure told and in she went first time, Ben doing the honours with the net. After a little whoop of delight we excitedly shone the head torch into the net and were amazed to see a massive great common!! At these times I usually run around jibbering for a while in a bit of a state but managed to get all the mat/ carp care/weighing/ photography stuff sorted before hoisting her out of the water. When I saw her on the mat I remember saying "Bejesus boys, it's like a bloomin harse!!" On the scales she went 37 12!
I was so chuffed!! Photos and carp care mouth and body done I carefully returned her to the icy water, truly a perfect example of a nice big common carp.
Now around this time, as many remember lakes around the country were freezing for considerable lengths of time and Sandhurst being a shallow water was no exception. During these times us bailiffs were able to do a lot of bramble and deadwood clearing work and other such 'Carpification' eagerly hoping for the next thaw to allow us to fish again.
The next good weather came in the early part of February and this time I'd decided to fish on the opposite bank in the swim known as 'The Bailiffs' . We'd been eyeing this bit of water up for a couple of weeks from the road bank, it basically fishes out to the same silty trench that we were fishing from the other side so theoretically didn't make any difference but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. Line angles and all that!
I'd decided to fish two on the mag bags in conjunction with the mag aligner as made famous by Rob Maylin, Rob had really perfected the rig and had done incredibly well on Sandhurst and other waters over the previous years. I had been shown various different ways of using the big bags of maggots but decided that was going to use the rig exactly as rob had shown, going on the theory 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!' The other was fished with the now 'old faithful' medusa presentation.
All 3 were cast out into the silty area going left and long out of the swim and I sat back and relaxed with a brew and a fag. I retired early that night and woke before first light the next day with that gutted feeling that nothing had happened. Never gets any better that feeling!
A fair few anglers were fishing opposite on the road bank some of whom were whacking over close to where I was fishing so deciding it was all getting a bit too busy with lines decided to bring the rods in a little bit closer. All 3 were recast early morning and I was sitting there having a cup of tea a couple of hours later when the buzzer unexpectedly shreiked into life and I was into one, to be honest with you the scrap must have lasted for only about 2 and a half minutes, the fish coming in fairly easily and then plodding about for a short while before popping up to the surface briefly, diving back down again for a few seconds and then popping up to the surface once again, ready for netting!!! Sweet!! I always play fish lightly anyway but Sometimes it's nice to have a scrap like that especially when you're someone like me who gets very anxious during a prolonged battle!! Looking in the net I chuckled like you do upon seeing a big old mirror carp at the bottom!
Safely secure in the net in a nice deep margin I ran round in circles 4 two minutes making a quacking sound.... Only joking!!! I went and got the mat etc ready, and at that point one of the anglers from round the other side, Jason, turned up to help with the proceedings, on the scales she went 35. 2, a fish called Rosie, one of the lakes real crackers, heavily scaled towards the back end, looking even more beautiful due to her amazing winter colours. My mate Paul turned up a short while later to do the honours with the camera and back she went. Pukka fish.
I recast all 3 rods once again out to the spots, all 3 landed bang on but had no further activity apart from the odd unexplained beep during the night.
The following morning around half seven i had a pull up on the right hand rod followed by a slight drop back then it pulled up tight again, I was sure that a fish on the end was the culprit and sure enough I pulled into another! This fish held its ground for a while before slowly swimming towards me and then heading off right into the corner just up the margin from me. I could see the line cutting into the water only a foot or away from a big bush so was forced to go into the water up to the knee to avert disaster! You can imagine what that was like only 3 days after the lake had thawed!! It definitely wasn't tropical that's for sure. With a good amount of gentle sidestrain applied the carp eventually moved out in front, plodded about for a fair while before being netted by Ben who'd been doing a night just up the path. Ben looked in the net and said that it was a nice chunky mirror. Wicked!
On the scales she went 29. 8 , a fish called Polo another beautifully marked fish.
Now this is where it starts getting silly!!
Later on that day after another re cast I went and had another one, a cracking looking fish called Niges at 37. 4!!
He came in fairly easily bless him, he's actually is renowned for it, I think this fish has actually learned that if he doesn't resist all that much then he'll simply be netted, have his picture taken and then be carefully returned ,none the worse for wear! Fair play to him I say, one of the lakes real characters and a fish that I've always wanted to catch ever since I saw Nige catch him all those years ago up the car park end of the lake in a tearing wind at 27 .8
It all seems so matter of fact when I write it down, and I hope it doesn't come across as me being blasé, it just happened like that, I was using pretty much the same methods as I always did but thankfully I was in the right place at the right time. In reality it was my most MONUMENTAL session ever and one that I was very thankful for. As you can imagine I went driving back with a chummy smile on my face singing li le li le li the whole way home!!
I spent a night in the warm and went back the following day. Another fella, Andy, had been fishing there but hadn't had any joy, I asked him if anyone had asked if they could go in there after him which they hadn't so asked if I could to which he replied 'Yes' Sweet! He was going in a couple of hours so I fished a couple in the edge further round the lake with no joy apart from a small liner.
Around '1'ish I managed to get the rods out into the area again, all 3 now fishing 'Mag aligner' style, I got lovely soft drops on all 3 first time which I was chuffed about and sat back on the bedchair and had a brew.
A couple of hours later after receiving the odd bleep and twitch I had a screamer on the middle rod. I immediately had to give line to this fish as it started towing left up the middle of the lake, suffice to say it put up an incredible fight out in front of the swim, taking me all over the place before being netted by Nige who'd come round from Dave Benton's swim. Upon further inspection it turned out to be another clonking great mirror whereupon I broke into one of crazy little happy dances you do to accompany the capture of a goodly sized fish!! Or is that just me?!
We got all the gear sorted and weighed the fish, a lovely looking carp which had been identified as one called 'pinHead' in at 37.6! Maan, I was ECSTATIC!! I just couldn't believe my luck!
We took a fair few photos and returned her back unharmed.
I couldn't believe it. Upon reflection it all seems a bit surreal how things had changed so much from the time just before Christmas when I couldn't get a bite for toffee to the end of this session. The way I put it was that every year you'd always hear a story about how some geezer had it right off on some water in January or February and I was always slightly envious hearing those stories never imagining I'd ever have such a winter touch but this year I was the lucky one!!
Jamie